I grew up in a household where a great importance was placed on genealogy, which has led me to contemplate why knowing simple facts about our ancestors (such as names, dates, hometowns and places of burial) provides us with a comforting sense of self.

To delve into this aspect of human culture, I am creating a collection of clay imprints made from the tombstones erected for my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, and so on. Each imprint represents the body and life of a person to whom I feel a connection, even though I’ve met only a handful of these individuals. At the completion of the project, it will consist of approximately fifty sculptures stemming from the lives of people who genetically played a part in my existence.

Currently, this project consists of twelve imprints and will swell in numbers as I’m able to visit various cemeteries and collect the imprints. As The Sum of Their Parts accumulates, these sculptural imprints are being displayed periodically to others in the grass in public parks, available for viewing by families, dog walkers and sun-seekers alike.